[etni] New ETNI Poll or Excuse me, but shouldn't it be "fewer hours" and not "less hours"?
- From: "The Cohen Family" <zmirianc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 21:52:34 +0200
**** ETNI on the web http://www.etni.org.il http://www.etni.org ****
Linda wrote:
> Excuse me, but shouldn't it be "fewer hours" and not "less hours"?
--- snip ---
ETNI responded by quoting the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (M-W) .
Based on the last part of M-W's explanation, "Less is ?as likely as fewer to
modify periods of time
<in less (or fewer) than four hours>", it seems to me that in this case both
possibilities are eligible.
Referring to fewer and less, I would like to quote The American College
Dictionary published by Random House:
Fewer, Less are sometimes confused because both imply to a comparison with
something larger (in number or amount).
FEWER applies only to number: a fewer street cars are running now than ten
years ago.
LESS is used in various ways. It is commonly applied to material in bulk, in
references to amount:
less gasoline in the tank than we thought.
It is also used frequently with abstractions, especially where the idea of
amount is figuratively present:
less courage, less wealth.
Less applies where such attributes as value, degree, etc. (but not size or
number) are concerned:
a nickel is less than a dime (in value); a corporal is less than a sergeant (in
rank).
A merge of both dictionaries helped me understand the issue better.
Dorian
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